MANILA – Threats, harassment, physical attacks and other forms of violence against members of the press during the election period will soon be classified as “election offenses.”
According to the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec), they will soon sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) as both sides recognize the urgency of the situation.
“Moving forward, we can view this MOA as an initiative that would send a strong message to the public and the international community that the Philippines is committed to protecting press freedom and upholding democratic values and creating an informed citizenry,” said PTFoMS executive director Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez.
Gutierrez stated that he and Comelec Chairman George Garcia reached agreement on the matter during their meeting at the Comelec office last week.
“I am glad that Chairman Garcia is fully supportive of the desire of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a safe environment for the country’s press, especially with the 2025 midterm election just around the corner,” Gutierrez said.
“Himself a former broadcast journalist, Chairman Garcia is keenly aware of the threats that our journalists face especially during the elections when tensions are high,” he added.
“I am pleased to note of the good chairman’s offer to exercise the power of the Comelec to warn candidates, political parties and their supporters that any attempt to stifle the country’s press from performing its mandate during the election period would be dealt with swiftly and decisively,” he further said.
The PTFoMS also asked the poll body to participate in the media safety summits, which the former has been organizing all over the country for the protection of the rights of the members of the press.
The group also said they will create a database of all election-related incidents involving media workers while both sides would also create a reporting mechanism that would be used by the COMELEC to address the incidents.
Currently, the Philippines remains a “dangerous place” for journalists as they dropped to 134th place out of 180 countries ranked in the latest World Press Freedom Index by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders./PN
